Forgiven
by Sakura Bloom
Summary: Ash & Misty: the birth and death of a relationship and everything in between.


"Forgiven"

**Forgiven**  
_by Laura Kamida_  
**Rated PG**  
  


Things can fall apart long before the end comes.  
  
~*~  
  
It took Ash Ketchum and Misty Waterflower seven years to get over their shyness and fears about expressing their love to each other and finally confess their deep and stirring feelings of love for each other. During their Pokémon travels, they had become very close, like brother and sister, with no inhibitions of how to act around each other. They loved each other secretly, but didn't want to spoil the closest friendship they had, so they each kept quiet for a long time.  
  
Seven years. They say good things come to those who wait. So Ash and Misty should have been the couple to be together forever, right?  
  
~*~  
  
Ash Ketchum yawned loudly and, with his back pushed up against the headboard of his bed and his feet stretched out, put a pillow behind his back. He thought, as he often did, of the girl that was sitting backwards in the chair across the room from him, how excruciatingly close she was, and how he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her forever. But couldn't.  
  
Misty Waterflower stood up from the chair she was sitting in backwards, and walked over to the bed where Ash was sitting. He scooted over for her and she sat beside him silently. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She put her arms around his waist and they sat, without words, just breathing and listening to a faint song in the background. The song that stood for everything that they meant to each other. _Their_ song.  
  
"Shouldn't you be out with Mikey?" Ash asked.  
  
Misty snorted. "I can't date freshmen," she complained. This simple statement implied that there would be no more "with Mikey."  
  
Ash sighed. "I dunno why you went out with him in the first place."  
  
"He's cute..." she said. "...And he liked me ever since we were kids..."  
  
"...And you wanted his Vaporeon," Ash chuckled.  
  
"Don't even joke about that, Ash... That's so mean!"  
  
"It's a nice Vaporeon."  
  
Misty smiled and rolled her eyes. "It just didn't work out with him... They -- all the guys I know -- aren't secure in what they want. The last time I paid any attention to him, he was off with that Team Rocket chick and didn't act like he wanted anything to do with me. She was just a replacement, and they did all the same things that we used to do together..." she said after a long pause, becoming serious again. "Besides..." she said, picking at her fingernails, "he just wasn't The Right One... You know what I mean?"  
  
"Yeah, I understand..." he said, drifting off. "That's how it was with Duplica." There hadn't been anyone since he broke it off with Duplica four months before. But Misty didn't know why: because Ash had already figured out that there would never be anyone for him but Misty.  
  
"Let's not talk about boys anymore. Or girls either."  
  
Ash laughed. "Okay."  
  
"Hey, turn this song back one. I love this song!" Misty said, reaching futilely for the CD player remote that Ash was holding.  
  
"Alright, alright..." he said, smiling. He loved that song too. It was, their song, after all... _Even if we aren't together yet..._ Ash thought wistfully. He pushed the "back" button.  
  
The beginnings of the music came on, and Misty snuggled herself deeper into Ash's arms... So warm, so comforting... Like he was a beacon in the wild storm that she was gravitated to.  
  
"I love you, Mist," Ash whispered. This was not _the_ declaration of love. This was simply saying, _I'm glad you're here, and I'm glad we're friends._  
  
"I love you too."  
  
They each secretly wished that they could make _the_ declaration of love. But they each thought it was impossible.  
  
_I've never known anything quite like this,_ Ash thought to himself. _To ruin the best friendship I've ever had would be the most stupid thing I've ever done. But... why don't I tell her when I know deep in my heart that I'm only hurting myself more by keeping it to myself?_ His mother had told him that this was not the time to go looking for a serious relationship with Misty; that all she wanted right now was "flings." So he kept his mouth shut and listened to her rhythmic breathing.  
  
_He doesn't love me the way I love him. He never has. He's too dense to realize that while he goes out with Gisele and Duplica and May that I'm the one that will love him forever... he only sees me as a sister. If I told him I loved him and he said he didn't love me that way... I would feel like such a moron! I can't do it. I can't do that._ Her sister, Daisy, to whom she was extremely close, told her that guys this age only care for a few things... and everlasting love was _not_ one of them. So she sighed, kept her mouth shut, and listened to the song.  
  
_I looked at you a thousand times...  
So when I looked at you,   
And saw something new...  
How could I be so blind?  
  
We shared our secrets in the dark,  
Though we were long friends,  
I don't know when,  
The feeling changed within my heart...   
  
Baby ooh, I keep it to myself,  
Baby ooh, I'm falling in love with you,  
The harder it gets,  
Cause you don't know the love I'm feeling...  
Ooh, I keep it to myself,  
Baby ooh, I'm falling in love with you,  
I don't wanna push you away,  
Cause no one makes me feel like you do...  
  
I dream of you all through the night,  
Holding you tight to me,  
Right here with me,  
Wrapped in my arms so tight...  
  
But when I start to tell you,  
How I feel,  
You tell me about someone new,  
Who's right for you,  
  
If you only knew,  
My love's for real...  
  
Baby ooh, I keep it to myself,  
Baby ooh, I'm falling in love with you,  
The harder it gets,  
Cause you don't know the love I'm feeling...  
Ooh, I keep it to myself,  
Baby ooh, I'm falling in love with you,  
I don't wanna push you away,  
Cause no one makes me feel like you do...  
  
And we both could be together forever...  
Why do I hold my feelings inside,  
If I know you're the only one for me?  
  
The deeper that it gets,  
The harder that i fall...  
Fall, baby...  
Baby ooh, I keep it to myself,  
Baby ooh, I'm falling in love with you,  
The harder it gets,  
Cause no one knows the pain I'm feeling...  
Ooh, I keep it to myself,  
Baby ooh, I'm falling in love with you,  
I don't wanna push you away,  
Don't you ever go away from me...  
I love you baby _  
  
She thought to herself during the whole song... _What if I don't say anything and he really feels the same? Isn't love worth the risk? I have to do it. I have to do it tonight. Before I change my mind and back out again._  
  
"Ash...?" Misty started, breaking their friendly embrace and turning so she could face him and look into his eyes. She couldn't take this waiting any longer.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Have you ever known someone that you loved so much, but you thought the gap between you was... so... _narrow_ that there was no way that you could ever fall in love, cause you'd just end up... falling on the ground... because you didn't fit in the crack... err... did that make any sense whatsoever...?"  
  
"I think I know what you mean..." he said softly, a small chuckle coming from him. "And yes, I have. In fact, I'm in love with someone like that right now."  
  
"You are?"  
  
"Yes. I am. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Oh, I was just wondering what you were supposed to do with a situation like that... How would you tell that person how you feel about them?"  
  
"Like this."  
  
He leaned forward and slowly kissed her. She put her arms around his shoulders and they pulled closer together. They slowly broke from their kiss, but their faces remained close together.  
  
"Is this what you mean?" Ash whispered.  
  
"Yes," Misty breathed, kissing him again, more passionately now. She felt electrified as he ran his strong hands up her back and through her hair. Her hands clutched his back and she closed her eyes with pleasure.  
  
Seven years. Everything should be perfect with that kind of lead up, right?  
  
_**~~ABOUT ONE YEAR LATER~~**_  
  
A year ago, when Misty looked into Ash's eyes, she saw romance, and spark, and love. But now, when she looked at him, and it had been this way for a month or so now, she saw something frightening: boredom. The things they did now didn't matter to him anymore... Been there, done that, that was the way their whole relationship was now.  
  
"I got a movie... We can pop some popcorn and go down to the den and watch it," Misty said brightly.  
  
"Fine." Ash said monotonously.  
  
"Ash, if you don't want to watch the movie, just say something, and we can do something else," she said, anger creeping up into her voice.  
  
"It just seems like we never do anything anymore, Misty! Whenever we're together, all we do is sit around. It's like we're not even together! It's just like... Well, there you are, and here I am... l et's not touch each other _at all_ or do _anything_, let's just _sit around_!" he yelled.  
  
"Don't yell at me!" she shouted indignantly, standing up. This was the worst part. For a month now, they had been having stupid little fights over dumb stuff. Sure, when they made up, it was fine, but everything was just a lead up until the next argument, fury and resentment building with each stupid fight that they had... "I'm sorry that we don't do anything! But I'm not the only one in this relationship!"  
  
"Maybe not, but I _am_ the only one that ever does anything!"  
  
"_Fine!_ Whatever!" Misty glared at him silently, and turned away.  
  
There was a long pause. Finally, Ash started to put his tennis shoes on. "You know what, I don't need this. I don't need any of this!"  
  
He started to walk out. Opening the door, he turned to Misty for a goodbye. None was offered.  
  
"Forget you," he spat. He pulled the door shut, slamming it heavily, and while Misty could not see him, he slumped against the door for a moment, a tear running down his cheek.  
  
_ Hey...  
  
If we can't find a way out of these problems  
Then maybe we don't need this  
Standing face to face  
Enemies at war we build defenses  
And secret hiding places...  
  
I might need you to hold me tonight,  
I might need you to say it's alright,  
I might need you to make the first stand,  
Cause tonight I'm finding it hard to be your man...  
  
Hey...  
  
More than angry words I hate this silence  
It's getting so loud  
Well I want to scream  
But bitterness has silenced these emotions  
It's getting hard to breathe  
  
So tell me isn't happiness  
Worth more than a golden diamond ring?  
I'm willing to do anything  
To calm the storm in my heart  
I've never been the praying kind  
But lately I've been down upon my knees  
Not looking for a miracle  
Just a reason to believe...  
  
I might need you to hold me tonight,  
I might need you to say it's alright,  
I might need you to make the first stand,  
Cause tonight I'm finding it hard to be your man...  
  
Do you remember not too long ago?  
When we used to live for the nighttime  
Cherish each moment  
Now we don't live, we exist  
We just run through our lives  
So alone  
  
That's why you've got to hold me...  
  
Hey...  
  
If we can't find a way out of these problems  
Then maybe we don't need this  
Standing face to face  
Enemies at war we build defenses  
And secret hiding places...  
I might need you to hold me tonight,  
I might need you to say it's alright,  
I might need you to make the first stand,  
Cause tonight I'm finding it hard to be your man...  
  
_ The door slammed, and Misty turned around, stunned. Tears started to stream down her face as she realized what she was doing. She was letting her need to be right overcome her love for him, and so when he got angry at her over an argument, she just got upset after he left and wished she could apologize.  
  
She sat down on her bed as she realized that this was the "Big Fight." The fight that all the other fights had led to. She let out a choked sob as she thought that he would probably break up with her now.  
  
Daisy Waterflower opened the door slowly and saw Misty hugging a pillow tightly.  
  
Misty looked up slowly at her sister's face, with her beautiful blonde hair and her bright blue eyes. She rubbed her own blue eyes, which were reddened with tears, and said, "I've done it this time, Daisy. He's going to break up with me now, I know he is."  
  
"_I'll_ talk to him," Daisy said. "You just, like, calm down."  
  
Misty smiled, thinking this was a good idea, and whispered, "Thank you..."  
  
"Like, what are sister's for?" she said, grinning and walking out of the room.  
  
Misty, knowing that her relationship was in good hands, with her best friend handling everything, drifted off to sleep soon after and didn't hear Ash's car pulling away three hours later.  
  
_**~~THE NEXT DAY~~**_  
  
Misty had finally cornered Daisy in her bedroom around 4:30 that afternoon. She was curious as to why Daisy was avoiding her all day.  
  
"Daisy?"  
  
"Huh?" she gasped, turning around, startled to see Misty. "Oh... Hi, Misty..."  
  
"Did you talk to him?"  
  
"Him?" Daisy said innocently.  
  
"_Ash_!" Misty replied urgently, wringing her hands together.  
  
"Oh, yeah... I, like, talked to him..." she said quietly.  
  
"..._And_...?"  
  
There was no response. Daisy just stared into her eyes, and suddenly her eyes started to brim over with tears. "Oh, Misty, I'm so sorry..." she said, her shoulders shaking with sobs.  
  
"What? What for?" Misty said hurriedly, quickly sitting beside her sister and hugging her shoulders. "What's wrong?"  
  
"It's Ash..."  
  
Misty drew in a quick breath. "I knew it..." she breathed. "He wants to break up with me... What did he say?"  
  
"He said... he's, like, 'done'..."  
  
"Oh... Oh my God..." Misty whispered. "What have I done...?" The shock of it stunned her for a moment. Then, she began to cry.  
  
"It... like, gets worse," Daisy said quietly.  
  
"How could it be worse? My whole world... is _falling apart_."  
  
"He's, like, in love with, like, someone else... Someone you know, Misty."  
  
"Who is it!?"  
  
"Someone you know... _very well_, Misty."  
  
A cold thought shivered up Misty's spine. "No..." she whispered.  
  
"He's in love with, like... me."  
  
"_I KNEW IT_!" she yelled. "_UNBELIEVABLE!_" she jumped up. "_DAMN IT!_"  
  
"Misty, I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry!"  
  
"God, why did I have to be such a _bitch_!" Tears already were welling up in her eyes and in her heart. She had really done it this time... She had driven him right to her... and letting them talk together the previous night had been the straw that broke the camel's back... Or the push that broke Misty's heart.  
  
"Oh, Misty, you could, like, _never_ be a bitch!"  
  
"Oh yeah!? _THEN WHY DOESN'T HE LOVE ME ANYMORE_!"  
  
"Misty... like, sometimes people just run outta love..."  
  
Misty sniffled. Anger started to creep up within her. "Well, I never did. And I never would."  
  
_**~~TWO HOURS LATER~~**_  
  
Misty sat, her legs crossed provocatively, leaning back on her bed. She had been baking in her anger and bitterness ever since Daisy had told her that Ash's love had gone somewhere else. She waited for Ash to ascend the stairs and come into her room. He did.  
  
"Oh, hi Ash..." she said softly.  
  
"Hey..." he replied nervously.  
  
"So, what's up, Ash?" she said sweetly. "Anything, new, perhaps, that you want to tell me about?"  
  
"Um... no --"  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked, cutting him off. "Because... if there was, I would hope that you would be honest and straightforward about it, and tell me right away."  
  
"Um... I'm sure..."  
  
"Okay, honey... Just wanted to know..." She paused, and stared into his deep brown eyes.  
  
"Alright..." he finally confessed. "There is something that I have to tell you."  
  
"Oh?" she said innocently.  
  
"I'm in love with Daisy. I've been falling in love with her for a long time. I just didn't realize... things... until I talked to her last night..."  
  
"Oh, isn't that just _so romantic_..." Misty cooed.  
  
Ash tilted his head to the side and looked at her curiously.  
  
"I'm soooo _happy_ for you..." she said, her voice sticky with sweetness.  
  
"So... you're not mad?"  
  
"Oh yes, dear, I am, I'm just oozing with sarcasm to cover it up... Whoopsy! I guess I messed that idea up, didn't I?" Her eyebrows narrowed in anger.  
  
"So how do you really feel?"  
  
"Really? You _care_ how I feel?"  
  
Ash narrowed his eyebrows as well. "Yes, Misty, I really want to know."  
  
"Well, honestly, I want to rip your head off."  
  
"Oh, isn't that pleasant..."  
  
"Isn't it though?"  
  
"I don't know what to do about this, Misty. I love you both so much... But it's not just her... It seems like... something's gone wrong between us... Like our spark is gone."  
  
Misty paused, fuming and dying at the same time. "...Oh, well whatever you do, I'll be just _peachy_, honey. You can break my heart, because I don't really matter anymore. Good ol' Misty, I'll be here no matter what," she said, her voice bitter. "What, was I some kind of 'consolation prize' because you couldn't have Daisy!? Was I some kind of... _Second Best_?" She threw these hostile words at him, knowing that it was an awful thing to say, but having to get some of her pain away, having to throw some of that pain back at him.  
  
"Oh, is that the way you see it!?" Ash spat icily. "Is that the way you think I am!? After everything we've been through, do you really believe that!?"  
  
"Yes!" she lied. "I do!"  
  
"Well, isn't that a nice way to look at our entire relationship!"  
  
"Don't you think?" she said mockingly.  
  
"Yes, very nice," he retorted, just as mockingly.  
  
"Look, just say what you want to say, Ash. Just spit it out. Get it over with. Rip the damn band-aid off already. I'm tired of this analyzation."  
  
"I think I already have," he said quietly. Misty just sat, looking at him, an enraged, yet calm look in her tear-free blue eyes. "Misty, I'm sorry about this."  
  
"Don't bother. You don't deserve to have pity for me," she said coldly.  
  
"You know what," he said, his face contorting with rage, "I'm getting really tired of this. I'm getting really pissed off, actually. I tried to be nice to you, but forget it. At first, I didn't know what to do. Because I love you both. But now, you've made that decision a whole lot easier for me."  
  
Misty's face tensed up in anger. "Fine, Ash! Anything the _runner up_ can do to make _your_ life easier!!!"  
  
He turned and stormed out. She threw a glass of water at the door as he slammed it and it made a loud shattering sound. She watched as the water slowly slid in droplets down the wood and thought to herself, _That was the sound of us breaking up..._ She turned over angrily and started sobbing into her pillow. She heard voices outside... Ash's voice, and then her sister's voice, high and dainty as a bell. Footsteps down the stairs. The door opening.  
  
Daisy's hair was frazzled, extremely strange, since it was always perfectly combed to a perfect style. Her eyes were filled with tears. Misty was torn: _She really feels awful about this... she really cares about me..._ but at the same time: _Why is _she_ the one crying!? It's _my_ life that fell apart. _My_ boyfriend that left me. _My_ heart that's broken. I don't want her pity._  
  
All of the hostile feelings she felt for Daisy were pushed back when the older Waterflower wrapped her arms around her little sister's shoulders. "I never, like, meant for this to happen," Daisy said. "I know how, like, close you and Ash were... and as much as, like, I wished for that, I would, like, never take that away from you."  
  
"I know," Misty softly replied. There was a pause as Misty contemplated what she was feeling. "You know what? Whoever Ash's next girlfriend is... She's going to hate me... Because I'm a still-loving ex-girlfriend..." A realization hit her like someone had kicked her in the stomach. "Except... That you'll always love me..."  
  
"Misty..." Daisy said, in all seriousness. "I'm not going to be Ash's girlfriend."  
  
_Well,_ Misty thought to herself. _At least there is some poetic justice._   
  
~*~  
  
After tossing and turning all night, Misty finally came to the conclusion that she should try to forgive Ash for what he did... After all, the qualms that had riddled her mind when she first thought about getting into a relationship with him were coming back to haunt her: What if she lost his friendship? She couldn't live with herself if she allowed that to happen.  
  
So when he knocked on the door early the next morning and she answered it to see him standing there with a bouquet of flowers, she was extremely relieved.  
  
"Misty... I'm really sorry for the things I said last night," he said. "I feel... so awful about everything I've done. I'm a horrible person."  
  
"No, you're not a horrible person!" she said, her heart soaring.  
  
"Yes... I am, I'm a horrible person to do what I've done... But that doesn't change how I feel." Her heart dropped. "I still love Daisy."  
  
"Oh... That's... _nice_..." Misty stammered... not expecting necessarily (although she had hoped) to get back together with Ash, but certainly not expecting what he had just bluntly told her.  
  
"But... if you want... I really still want to be friends with you... if you still want to be friends with scum like me," he said, looking genuinely sorry. She felt her eyes swell with tears.  
  
"Of course," she said softly.  
  
"Great!" he said, smiling, reaching out and hugging her tightly.  
  
"I love you," she whispered, positive he could not hear her. She blinked back her tears as he suddenly released her.  
  
"Daisy!" he said, walking toward the stairs of the house. Misty spun around to see him deliver the bouquet of roses to her blonde, pajama-clad sister.  
  
"Oh... hi Ash," Daisy said, obviously uncomfortable. She looked behind him, to Misty, who was watching forlornly. Misty caught on, and painted a smile on her face.  
  
"I'm... I'm sorry, Misty," Ash said.  
  
"No, it's alright," she said quickly. "I'm... going for a walk," she added, bolting out the open door.  
  
~*~  
  
Ash was gone when Misty came back... She made sure of that. She walked up to her room and slowly opened the door. Daisy was sitting on her bed.  
  
"Daisy!" she exclaimed, startled. She wiped her face quickly. "Wha -- what are you doing here?" But the look on Daisy's face told her everything. "Oh..." she said softly. Her heart started to hurt. "I... I didn't want to think my sister, my best friend, would lie to me... but I should have known. I should have figured that with --"  
  
"Misty," Daisy said softly. "I never, like, meant to go out with him... But Misty..."  
  
Misty pointed to the door, telling Daisy to leave.  
  
"But Misty, I love him."  
  
"I doubt that very seriously," Misty replied quietly, still gesturing at the door. "But whatever... I just want to be alone."  
  
Daisy left, looking back one last time to see Misty sit on her bed, her face still expressionless.  
  
The door shut and the dam of Misty's tears broke. _Of all the injustice... why does all of this have to happen to me? Who can I talk to? _she thought. _I can't talk to Daisy... God, wouldn't that be awkward... the only other person that I share my secrets with is... currently in love with my sister and I would like to take a hammer to his face..._  
  
There was one person... It was a long shot, though. It had been so long since they had talked... Did he even still consider her a friend? At one time they had been close, inseparable actually, but after Ash competed in the Orange League and he had surprised them by showing up to cheer for him... she hadn't seen him... Was this number still right?  
  
She fumbled around with her address book and dialed the number.  
  
"Hello?" a man's voice answered.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Flint? Is Brock there?"  
  
~*~  
  
Brock had agreed to meet Misty in a small café in Viridian the next day for lunch.  
  
She shouldered her purse and combed through her red hair nervously. He had seemed happy to talk to her on the phone... but had he really forgiven them for losing touch over the years? They had promised never to forget him... They were the inseparable trio... But the trio had become a duo a long time ago... Was Brock bitter about that?  
  
She opened the door and looked around. Brock was sitting at a booth by the window. "Misty!" he called, standing up to greet her. "It's really you!"  
  
"Brock!" she called back, relieved. She hadn't really realized how much she needed to talk to someone right then until the floodgates of her emotions burst. She ran to him and hugged him tightly. He tensed ever-so-slightly at first, but soon his muscular arms were wrapped around her in an embrace. "I'm so happy to see you," she said.  
  
He patted her back gently and then let go of her greeting hug. Tears had formed in her eyes, but she wiped them away before he saw them.  
  
"Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the table.  
  
"Thanks," she replied shakily, sitting down.  
  
After they had ordered drinks, Brock looked at her face, deep into her eyes. "Misty, I want you to tell me what's happened to you." He paused, and before she started talking, he cut her off. "Don't even deny it," he continued. "I can tell something's up. First of all, Ash isn't here." She cringed. "Also, you called me out of nowhere after 4 years and asked me to have lunch with you... then you ran up to me and hugged me. And don't pretend you weren't crying, because I saw it. Now explain everything."  
  
"Alright," she said, forcing a small laugh at his perceptiveness. She hadn't told him anything last night, she didn't want him to think that she was only getting in touch with him after all these years to talk about her problem. But he knew anyway... he knew, and she felt awful about it. "You know me better than most people, after all." Brock had helped her with all her problems when they were going together on their journey... Mainly with Ash. After all, wasn't love usually her problem?  
  
"Yeah, I do..."  
  
"Well... I'll bring you up to speed on everything..." She started the long story, from the point where she and Ash had finally gotten together in the first place ("Well, I saw that coming ever since we were kids," Brock noted.) to the point where things started to turn sour, to the point where she had ordered Daisy out of her room.  
  
"I... I'm so mad at him I just can't take it anymore. But I still love him, of course... Stupid me, I have to make everything difficult..." She scowled and wiped away the tears that had traced their way down her face.  
  
"No, no... You're not making things difficult. Your feelings are very valid. Of course you're still going to love him. Just because he did this terrible thing doesn't mean that all of your feelings will be automatically erased."  
  
"It was all my fault anyway... I just drove him right to her... God... I... just don't understand how all of this could have escalated to such a level that he would actually fall in love with... _Daisy_...!"  
  
"In my opinion," Brock said, crossing his arms, "Ash doesn't know what he wants anymore. First he wanted all those girls like Duplica, then he wanted something serious with you... and now that he's had that, and he's bored with it... He wants someone else, and some_thing_ else in a relationship."  
  
Misty was silent for a moment, staring off into space. She looked back to Brock. There was something about him... He just _understood_ her. Anything she was talking about... He had always gotten her point somehow. Even after all these years.  
  
Was that... love?  
  
A small smile formed on her lips as a warm feeling materialized in her heart. It seemed that it didn't heal the pain from what had transpired the night before... but pushed it aside. Brock. Brock knew her better than any -- everyone but Ash... He was like a doctor to her. The way he always consoled her when he saw her hurting... the way that they laughed and joked.  
  
"Brock, I think I..." she drifted off, looking into his eyes. The feeling in her heart, so confusing... So strange. She... did have feelings for him, she supposed, a bit of attraction, but... She still had too much in her tempest of a heart for Ash... and pain... and she knew that if she told Brock anything... It would be because she was on the rebound. And besides... he had Suzie now... he was happier than she had ever seen him... it would only ruin things all around.  
  
"What?" Brock said.  
  
"I think I... should go. I don't really feel well right now."  
  
"You're upset. Was it something I said?"  
  
"No, no, nothing like that... I just... Need to get my thoughts together. I have to start moving on, getting on with my life. I've been feeling upset about our relationship for over a month now, and I really need to forget about Ash and just... like I said, get on with my life." She stood up. Brock did the same. "Thank you, Brock, for coming here and being here for me and helping me to get through my feelings. Bye," she said, hugging him again, and walking out of the café.  
  
~*~  
  
Brock watched as Misty left the small café in Viridian City, and was startled as their young waitress came back with two cups of tea.  
  
"Damn!" he chuckled. "She left me with the check!"  
  
~*~  
  
Misty hopped in her dark blue Jeep, taking her hair down so it could blow freely in the wind. She sped down the rural road at 70 miles per hour, careless and hurt enough to want to drive into a tree. But instead, she drove into the driveway of her home, and walked slowly into the house. There were Ash and Daisy, cuddling on the couch, watching TV. Misty hurt on the inside, but smiled on the outside. She would never let them see how she was hurt. Never. She was too proud for that.  
  
"Hi guys!" she said brightly.  
  
"Uh, hi Misty..." they both muttered nervously, separating and sitting a few inches apart.  
  
"Uh, do you, like, want to watch this movie with us?" Daisy said. She patted the empty seat on the couch. "I think you'd like, like it."  
  
"Sure," she replied, sitting down beside them. They were visibly uncomfortable that she had accepted. They expected her to be hurt. They felt guilty for what they had done. _Stop feeling guilty!_ she secretly ordered. _I've moved on,_ she lied to herself.  
  
She thought she had moved on... but many things can change.  
  
~*~  
  
_I can't find a reason to let go,  
Even though you've found a new love,  
And she's what your dreams are made of...  
I can find a reason to hang on,  
What went wrong can be forgiven,  
Without you it ain't worth livin'  
Alone.  
  
Sometimes I wake up crying at night,  
And sometimes I scream out your name...  
What right does she have to take you anyway,  
When for so long you were mine...?  
  
Took out all the pictures of our good old days,  
It was a time of love and laughter,  
Happy ever after...  
But even those old pictures have begun to fade,  
Please tell me she's not real,  
And that you're really coming home  
To stay.  
  
Sometimes I wake up crying at night,  
And sometimes I scream out your name...  
What right does she have to take your heart away,  
When for so long you were mine...  
  
I can give you a good reason  
To show you love's not blind...  
How can I say that,  
You've changed your mind....  
  
Sometimes I wake up crying at night,  
And sometimes I scream out your name,  
What right does she have to take your heart away,  
When for so long you were mine...  
  
I remember when you were mine...  
  
It was my fault. All of it. My fault. I shouldn't have said the horrible things I said. All my fault. All my fault. All my fault... He'd still love me if... all my fault. All my fault, all of it. Come back! Come back to me!_  
  
She took slow steps forward, toward him. He was holding his arms out to her, he wanted her. "Oh!" she involuntarily cried out, starting to run to him. Suddenly a feminine figure stepped in her way. She could only see the intruder's back, but it was long, flowing blonde hair. The girl turned slowly toward her, but to her surprise, it was not the face of the other... it was her own face staring back at her.  
  
She was standing in her own way, disguised as someone else.  
  
"NO!" she cried, falling to her knees. "It's all my fault. All my fault..."  
  
~*~  
  
Misty jumped awake with a sharp gasp. She could hear soft talking in low, hushed tones of voice. She wiped the cold, anxious sweat from her forehead and looked at her haggard reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were reddened and dark circles had formed. It had been what, two months since her break-up with who she had thought was the love of her life, Ash, but she could still feel the effects of what was happening.  
  
Mostly it was in a passing glance, a catch in his eye when she would forget that it had happened and saw the same love that she had always seen. Sometimes it was when they had their deep conversations, talking to one another, and she constantly thought that there was still something, still some way, some how...  
  
She had always been a fighter when it came to what she felt was hers. She had always been jealous, overprotective, traits which she hated about herself and yet could not, and did not want to prevent. It was a part of her, just as Ash was a part of her. But she could not fight this time. Not when the opponent was her sister. Not when the stakes were so high... She had the heart, the want... but the risk was too much.  
  
It was the mornings when Ash would emerge from the bathroom with his hair wet from the shower and Misty's mind constantly reminding her that he had never spent the night when they were together... It was the nights when she could hear them in Daisy's bedroom... It was the next day when Daisy would pass Misty in the hallway and for a split moment their eyes would meet and Misty would feel her chest tighten and she would hold in a cry.  
  
It was the smile that she had to paint on her face, it was the face and the words that belied her true feelings. It was the fact that it was working so well, that no one knew the truth. The fact that no one was telling her that everything would be okay because she refused to admit that it wasn't in the first place.  
  
~*~  
  
"Good morning!" Violet Waterflower said brightly, skipping down the stairs and dancing around the kitchen. Daisy was sitting at the table, eating a bagel with cream cheese, and Misty was reading the newspaper while eating a bowl of corn flakes. It was one of the rare mornings that Ash had not been there from the night before.  
  
"Like, what are you so happy about?" Daisy asked inquisitively, raising one eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, nothing, except the fact that I, like, have, like, the most wonderful, like, news!" she said, as if the matter were totally obvious and they should have known immediately.  
  
"What?" Daisy continued.  
  
"Like, I found Misty a new boyfriend!"  
  
Misty choked. Violet looked at her with a disgusted look on her face as she coughed for a moment and regained her composure. Daisy looked concerned, but looked back to Violet. "Who!?" Misty choked out.  
  
Violet grinned. "Well, like, he's really, like, really cute, and he's sooo, like, sweet and nice and stuff, and he just broke up with his, like, girlfriend, who was, like, a total, like, skank, and like, he really likes you, like, a lot!"  
  
Misty rolled her eyes. "_Who?_" She braved another bite of corn flakes and took a drink of orange juice.  
  
"His name is, like, Tracey Sketchit."  
  
She sprayed her juice all over the kitchen table. "_TRACEY_!?" she echoed, appalled, wiping her mouth and throwing the napkin on the table.  
  
"Yeah?" she said, blinking as if it were a no-brainer situation.  
  
"I barely know him anymore... and... I'm not really - " she almost added 'ready to date someone new yet' on there, and then, looking at Daisy's expression, said "You know what, sure! I'll try it! Give me his number!"  
  
Violet tilted her head to the side, stunned. "Whoa, Misty..." Misty gave her a strange look. "It's like, usually never, like, this easy to get you to do anything!"  
  
"Well, things have changed," Misty said grumpily, then put her half-full bowl of corn flakes in the sink and stalked upstairs.  
  
~*~  
  
"So, Tracey, what movie are we going to go see?" Misty asked sweetly, turning her head to see the driver of the car, and adjusting the short khaki skirt she was wearing.  
  
"Well - I - uh, thought I'd let you decide!" he said nervously, wiping sweat from his brow. He gave her a nervous, crooked smile and then turned back to looking at the road.  
  
Misty lifted one eyebrow and then crossed her arms over her chest. _This is going to be a looooooong - Stop it, Misty. Give him a chance. C'mon, this is your first date since - don't think about it. But this is your new start, your chance to show everyone that you've moved on. Take it._ "Um... let's go to see..."  
  
_Love story? No way.  
  
Action flick? Blech.  
  
Scary movie? Eww... then he'll wanna.... protect me or something lame and macho like that._  
  
"... if we can get something to eat first. I'm famished."  
  
"Uh, sure! Whatever you wanna do, Misty, that's fine with me. You go ahead. Whatever you wanna do."  
  
Misty felt like slapping him. _Be nice... Be flattered! He likes you!_ She sighed loudly. _This is going to be a looooong night, she thought to herself again._  
  
_~~TWO HOURS LATER...~~_  
  
Tracey's little car pulled up in front of the Waterflowers' house, and Misty opened the door, stepping out of the car. "Bye, Trace," she said, closing the door. She sauntered up to the front porch, but stopped dead in her tracks as she heard footsteps behind her. She slowly turned around to see Tracey following her. He stopped and looked at her, his eyes giving her an injured puppy look.  
  
When she didn't say anything, he continued to walk forward, finally meeting her on the front porch.  
  
"Um..." she said uncomfortably. "Thanks for taking me out... I had a really... I had a time," she continued, one corner of her mouth turning up, not quite in a smile, but close.  
  
Tracey smiled, and wrung his hat in his hands. "Thank you for coming, Misty... I really like you a lot..."  
  
He was interrupted by the sound of giggling above. Misty spun around to see four heads looking out the window: Violet, Daisy, Lily... and Ash.  
  
"Like, don't just stand there, like talking all day!" Violet yelled.  
  
"Yeah!" Lily taunted. "Like, kiss her!"  
  
"Like, you guys..." Daisy said in her holier-than-thou voice, as Ash wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You should, like, leave them alone..." A small smile came over her face, and Misty wanted to cram her fist down her throat.  
  
She didn't have the chance, though, because Tracey tapped her shoulder, and when she turned around, he kissed her.  
  
Lily, Violet, and Ash all howled, and Misty quickly pushed Tracey away. She pushed open the front door wordlessly and slammed it behind her.  
  
The girls (and Ash) all came running down the stairs in procession: first Violet, then Lily, then Daisy, and finally Ash. "What the hell was that for?" Violet asked her angrily.  
  
"_What the hell was that for_!?" Misty repeated furiously. "The same thing this is for," she said, then balling her fingers into a fist and punching Violet in the mouth. The blue-haired sister went tumbling, and Lily caught her. Misty pushed past the four of them, starting up the stairs. Ash grabbed her arm, but she wrenched it away in rage and continued until she reached her room and slammed the door.  
  
She threw herself on the bed and buried her face in her pillow. The door slowly started to creak open. "Go away, Violet." ... there was no answer. "Get out, Daisy!" Still nothing. She turned over slowly to see Ash standing there.  
  
"Do you want me to go away?" he said softly.  
  
"Yes," she lied. He nodded slowly, and turned to leave. "No, wait!" she said, immediately wishing she hadn't. He closed the door, turning around with a small smile on his face. He walked over and sat on the bed beside her.  
  
"They humiliated me," she spat. "And you did too!" she added, smacking his arm. "And I don't even like Tracey that way. And... and... the date was boring... and... and.... _he kissed me_!" she said, disgustedly, wiping her mouth as an afterthought.  
  
Ash grinned. "What's so damn great about that?" Misty demanded.  
  
"You're so cute..." he said. Her stomach did a slow flip, and she was afraid of what she would do if she looked at him any longer. She turned around, crossing her arms. "You really should give him a chance... Once you've moved on, that is - "  
  
"_Moved on_?" she yelled, turning back around to him. "_Ha_! Don't flatter yourself, Ash Ketchum. I'm not even the least bit not-moved-on. I am _sooo_ over you. And I'll prove it to you, too." The look he gave her was concerned, and almost disbelieving. "Don't look at me that way! Get out."  
  
Ash frowned, but did as he was told.  
  
Misty, still glaring at the door that Ash had just shut, as if it was really him, dialed Tracey's number furiously. He picked up the phone. "Tracey?" she said impatiently. "Pick me up tomorrow at 7:00. We're going to dinner."  
  
~*~  
  
_Why am I going through this AGAIN?_ she asked herself for the twentieth time, as Tracey sat across from her in the same little Cerulean café that she sat in with Brock what seemed like an eternity ago. She had still kept in pretty good touch with Brock since the break-up, and had revived the friendship that they had lost along with their contact.  
  
Tracey was talking. Again. Tracey was always talking it seemed, and Misty was hardly listening. _I could find someone else to prove I'm over Ash with,_ she thought to herself dryly.  
  
It was then that she heard the voice.  
  
"Misty!" he called. She spun around in her seat, and saw him.  
  
"Mikey?" she said, somewhat shocked, and quirking her head to the side. "When did you get into town?" Mikey had moved away during the year that she and Ash had been going out. She stood up, and gave him a casual hug. Tracey cleared his throat. Misty spun around. "Oh, I'm sorry, Trace. This is Mikey Eeveeon. Mikey, this is Tracey Sketchit."  
  
Mikey looked at her incredulously. "... Am I interrupting something?" he asked with almost disbelief in his voice. "Is this... a date?"  
  
Misty nodded slowly. "Yes... .... Ash and I broke up. A-awhile ago..."  
  
"I'm sorry..." he said awkwardly. Misty only nodded slowly.  
  
"You know what?" Tracey said, standing up. "I'm going to leave you two alone. You obviously have a lot to talk about." He patted Misty's shoulder and left the café. Misty sighed with relief, mouthing "Thank you," as Tracey looked at her sadly.  
  
"Come on," she said, a smile taking her face. "Let's get outta here."  
  
~*~  
  
"So," Mikey said mischievously, "where do you want to go?"  
  
"Like you're old enough to drive," Misty joked. The brown-haired boy feigned insult. She smiled. "Let's go to the park," she said.  
  
When the car pulled onto the basketball court/parking lot (small patch of asphalt...), Misty climbed out of the car and dragged him out the driver's side door.  
  
"Come on..." she said, suddenly feeling rushed with hyperactivity. "I know this great little spot, it's right out by the lake... under some old oak trees... It'll be perfect." She smiled at him, not knowing why she felt so nervous and yet so at ease around him. She hadn't felt this way for so long... Too long, it seemed.  
  
The two ran, looking like children, with their hearts thumping wildly in their chests, until they reached the spot Misty had described. "It's beautiful," Mikey said, breathless. She smiled at him, and took his hand, the two of them sitting in the soft grass.  
  
"Misty..." he said quietly. "... I don't want to sound mean, but I always hoped that you and Ash would break up. He just snatched you right away from me... and I really liked you a lot..." he lowered his eyes in shame. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have mentioned him - "  
  
Misty placed a finger on his lips to silence him, and looked into his bright brown eyes lovingly. "Oh, Mikey... if you really cared about me... why did you ever go out with that awful... Team Rocket girl...?"  
  
"You... You and Ash... He had something special with you, and I thought that I would never have it... And I guess... I guess that just made me a jealous little Mikey..." he looked back at her and then grinned a little.  
  
"You should have told me, you know," she scolded softly.  
  
"It wouldn't have changed the way you felt about Ash, would it?"  
  
Misty felt her breath catch in her throat, and she couldn't answer immediately. "N-no," she finally admitted. "I guess things do happen for a reason," she sighed, sadness creeping into her voice.  
  
"Why did you two break up, anyway?" he asked innocently. Misty looked down at the ground in quiet sorrow and thought. "I'm sorry," Mikey said quickly. "I didn't mean to be nosy, or to make you upset... I guess I'm just wondering how the best couple I've ever seen split so... suddenly?"  
  
"It wasn't sudden," she said. "Although it certainly seemed that way."  
  
She went into the whole story of everything that happened, right to the bitter end. Mikey listened, his face finally turning at the end to a look of hatred. He didn't speak for a moment, and Misty wiped away the one tear that had accumulated in her eye.  
  
Suddenly Mikey pulled her into a fierce hug. Misty returned the sudden embrace, her tears flowing more rapidly now. "He was so stupid, Misty," he said softly into her hair. "I can't believe he would do something like that. And with you... He's a fool." He nestled his face deeper into her long, red hair, and held her close while she trembled with sobs.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mikey," she croaked.  
  
"Don't worry, Misty," he replied softly. "Everything is different now."  
  
~*~  
  
The front door creaked open ever-so-slowly, and Ash's eyelids fluttered open. He found himself laying on the couch with Daisy laying sprawled over his legs. He lifted the arm that had been at his side, barely touching the blonde's shoulder, and stretched it, yawning softly. He looked up at the front door to see Misty, looking rather shocked that she had been discovered, walking in. He could swear he saw a glimpse of someone walking away from the front porch as well.  
  
"Misty?" he whispered. "Isn't it a little past your curfew?"  
  
Misty stuck her tongue out at him, an impish gesture that struck him in the heart. It was one of the cutesy little habits that he had fallen in love with so long ago.  
  
"Where've you been?" he persisted.  
  
"With Mikey," she said simply, and ran up the stairs. He could see the redness creeping up her cheeks, and he drew in a sharp breath. He blinked rapidly for a few seconds, even after she was safely back in her room.  
  
"With Mikey..." he echoed, as his heart fell just a little bit.  
  
~*~  
  
The doorbell rang shrilly. "_SOMEONE GET IT_!" three voices called from the upstairs.  
  
Daisy, who was in the kitchen making a couple of drinks and snacks for herself and Ash, called to the dark-haired boy in the living room. "Ash, darling, can you, like, answer the door?"  
  
"Right," he said, standing up a little grumpily. He walked over to the door and opened it. A blonde-haired boy was standing there in a t-shirt and jeans, holding a bouquet of flowers. "Who are you here for?" Ash asked.  
  
"Umm... I'm here to pick up Lily..."  
  
"_LILY_!" Ash screamed.  
  
"_LIKE, STALL_!" Lily screamed back.  
  
The guy sweatdropped.  
  
After a few seconds, Ash yelled for Lily again. "_LILY_! _YOU'VE BEEN UP THERE FOR 3 HOURS_!"  
  
"_I HAVE TO MAKE AN ENTRANCE_!"  
  
"Right, right..." Ash sighed. "Come in," he said.  
  
Five minutes later, a tank-top and capri pants clad Lily came rushing down the stairs, her long pink hair in cutesy little pigtails. The doorbell called again. "I'll get it!" she called, charging toward the door. She flung it open. "_VIOLET_!" she shrieked.  
  
"_STALL_!" Violet called back.  
  
"They're all alike," Ash said confidentially to the blonde boy who was still sitting dumbfounded on the couch beside him while the scene unfolded again. Obviously this was his first Waterflower date. "... All alike except for Misty," he added softly, as an afterthought.  
  
Violet finally walked down the stairs, and straight out the door with her date. Then Lily grabbed her date's hand and they left together.  
  
Five minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Ash looked to the kitchen, then slowly stood up and walked toward the door, as if he were walking to his death. He slowly opened the door to see -  
  
"Mikey!" Misty called from behind. Ash whirled around to see Misty standing there behind him, in a gorgeous blue dress. Or maybe it was just her that looked gorgeous in it. "See you later, Ash," she said quietly, walking past him. "See you later, Daisy!" she called.  
  
"Don't be out too late, guys," Ash said quietly, which merited another tongue-sticking-out from Misty. As he shut the door, Daisy walked out of the kitchen with a tray in her hand, which she set on the coffee table. "C'mon," she said. "Like, let's watch a movie!"  
  
Ash's heart thumped.  
  
_I got a movie... We can pop some popcorn and go down to the den and watch it._  
  
_If you don't want to watch the movie, just say something, and we can do something else..._  
  
He sat down, not even thinking of anything anymore except for the sound of her voice in his head. She had tried... She had tried to make it better... But he hadn't listened to her. He hadn't even given it a chance.  
  
_You know what, I don't need this. I don't need any of this!_  
  
But he had lied to her.  
  
Daisy crawled over the cushions on the couch to Ash, who was sitting propped up on a couple of throw pillows and the armrest on the side, looking glum. "Like, what's wrong, Ashy boy?" she asked throatily, leaning forward and kissing his ear.  
  
"Nothing." He shook her off, and crossed his arms over his chest. Daisy looked at him, a small "o" of shock forming with her mouth. She curled her legs under her and looked at him out of the corner of her eye coyly. "Just stop," he snapped.  
  
She sat back, her lip quivering. Ash tried to feel concerned, he knew he had to say he was sorry, but the words wouldn't come.  
  
_Forget you.  
  
I can't..._  
  
~*~  
  
Misty walked into the house later that night, creeping, sure that she was the last one home, and not wanting to wake everyone. But she found Daisy curled up on the couch, her body shaking.  
  
"Daisy!" she whispered urgently, running to her sister. She kneeled down beside the couch, putting her arm over her sister's trembling shoulders. "What happened?"  
  
She continued to cry, letting out a loud sob. "It's Ash..." she finally breathed out. "He doesn't love me anymore."  
  
"Oh, Daiz... I'm sure that's not true... You probably just had a fight... Everything will be okay..." Her heart thumped wildly. She knew that she was lying. Everything would not be okay. It was happening again.  
  
"No!" she said angrily. "We broke up, Misty." Misty's mouth dropped open. "Don't even, like, pretend that you're upset. This is what you wanted, Misty. Now you can go and get him back, just like the both of you, like, wanted." She turned over away from Misty and buried her head in the back cushions of the couch.  
  
Misty stood up, shocked. "No..." she said softly. "It's not like that at all..." tears formed in her eyes and she clasped her hands together tightly. She turned and bolted out of the house. "No matter how hard it gets," she whispered. "Just open your eyes, and I'll be right here. When your scared of the future and you think you can't go on, just remember, I'll be right there."  
  
"My heart is yours."  
  
~*~  
  
She approached the park where she had come with Mikey only a few days ago. "Mikey..." she said to herself softly. "I can't... he... I can't think of him now." She could only do this, and she had to do it now, or else she would never do it again.  
  
It had been so very long. Too long. His presence, his arms around her, she had been waiting for it for so long. His essence felt so sweet, the ruggedness that she had come to love about him. His every feature beckoned her to him. Her heart cried out for him... It had cried for him ever since he had left her... so very long ago.  
  
"Ash..." she whispered gently, seeing him across the forest. "Oh, Ash." She knew that he couldn't hear her, his very figure was shrouded behind the trees. Hot tears of emotion cascaded down her face. But, as if some force had turned his head, his eyes met hers, solemn and dull with grief.  
  
Suddenly she couldn't stop herself anymore. Her feet, as if directed by the wind instead of her mind, carried her across the forest. She blindly ran, avoiding the tree branches, tears tracing lines along her face.  
  
She stopped within two feet of him. He was hurting. Another confrontation with her was not what he needed. Every time that he saw her, she knew that he felt that agonizing hurt of a loss. Not of loss. Of giving up. But she had to know. She had to know why he hurt so much. Why he couldn't stand to see her even though she had told him so many times that he was forgiven.  
  
"Misty," he said, acknowledging her presence. His eyes stared sadly into hers.  
  
"Ash... what's wrong?" she asked him. But in the back of her mind, she knew everything. She knew.  
  
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head, turning away from her. "It's... nothing."  
  
"Don't lie to me, Ash Ketchum."  
  
"Why are you even here? Why do you even still care about me, Misty? Why...?" He took her shoulders in his strong hands and held her. "After what I've done to you... how can you still be here beside me?"  
  
"Because..." she replied. "I'll always be here for you. I told you, I forgive you for what you did."  
  
He turned away from her. "I'm sorry that I ever gave you up, Misty."  
  
Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again. Things were so complicated, but her heart insisted it was simple. She -- still wanted him, still loved him with all of her heart. But he didn't love her anymore. It was... that simple. Or was it?  
  
Her mouth opened slightly, her heart told her to tell him, but she was positive he already knew. "I -- I still..."  
  
He bit his lip. She immediately regretted telling him the truth. He had enough things to worry about. But... after all that had happened, after all the things that she had been through, didn't she deserve happiness? Didn't she deserve love? True love? And she didn't have the power to demand her heart to love someone else. Her heart only belonged to him.  
  
No matter how much it hurt.  
  
She thrust the note into his hand, tears starting to form in her eyes again. "Ash, I want you to know that... I love you. And I always will. Even if I can't tell you. Even if you hurt me more than I've ever been hurt. Even if you leave me, you will always have my heart to break..." She couldn't say it, only whispered it, quickly, and desperately, her declaration of love for him. "Goodbye." She turned from him and ran again. Why was she always running from him?  
  
_When you're alone  
In the world,  
And there's no one there  
To dry your tears...  
Just don't give up,  
No matter how hard it gets,  
Just open your eyes,  
And I'll be right here.  
When you're scared  
Of the future,  
And you think,  
You can't go on...  
Just remember,  
That I'll be right there,  
And always, baby,  
You've got a real friend in me.  
My heart is yours  
Always and forever,  
So whenever you need me,  
I'll be standing there._  
  
~*~  
  
Ash's eyes scanned over the poem that Misty had given him. Oh, God, how had he kept a friend like her!? All the stupid things that he had done to her, and she just kept coming back to him.  
  
He loved her... but things weren't always easy.  
  
He had taken her for granted one too many times... Maybe she wouldn't be there the next time. No matter what she said... No one could take that much.vv He had to do something. He had to do it right away. There would be no more stringing her heart along. He had to make a decision. Love her or leave her again?  
  
His heart ached for her touch.   
  
Her whisper lingered in the air around him. "I love you... You'll always have my heart to break."  
  
~*~  
  
Misty sat in front of the mirror, looking at herself in the reflection. Her eyes had been reddened with tears. She had a date with Mikey in fifteen minutes, but she had written a note to Ash telling him that she wanted to meet him that night at the park. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about her lingering feelings for the tall, dark-haired boy, but she did know that first of all, she had something special with Mikey as well. And Mikey hadn't left her for her sister.  
  
When the doorbell rang, she slowly walked down the stairs, having composed herself the best she could. She answered the door, and Mikey was standing there with a bouquet of flowers.  
  
"Thank you so much!" she said brightly, giving him a quick peck on the lips. She stepped out on the front porch. "So where are we - "  
  
"Misty," he said somberly, cutting her off. "I know what happened with Ash and Daisy."  
  
"B-but, how did you find out!?"  
  
"I had a talk with Ash earlier. He was wishing me luck with you. I couldn't say anything to him... He just looked completely torn up. There's something wrong with him, Misty. And I can see that it's affected you too... So I want you to go."  
  
"What?" she said, looking puzzled.  
  
"I'm breaking up with you, Mist. I want you to be happy, and I know that you won't be really happy until you're with Ash. So I'm gracefully stepping out. I would rather be the bigger guy, because I know that I wouldn't have a chance against him anyway."  
  
Misty started to speak again, but Mikey placed a finger softly on her lips. "Don't say anything..." he said quietly. "I might just change my mind." With that, he turned and left.  
  
Misty held the flowers close to her chest, then turned around to see -  
  
"Daisy..." she whispered.  
  
"Don't..." the blonde said back to her.  
  
"I understand if you - "  
  
"No you don't under... I guess you do understand," she said softly.  
  
Misty nodded. "You hate what happened, you hate him, and in some deep, dark cavern of your heart, you hate me too."  
  
"_Misty_! I could, like, _never_ hate you!"  
  
"You do hate what I did though."  
  
She paused. "Well, yes," she admitted sadly. "But, like, it wasn't your fault. You were the, like, winner, and I, like, respect that."  
  
"No one is the winner in these situations. No one is happy in the end."  
  
"You're happy, Ash is happy, that's all that, like, matters."  
  
"No it isn't. It's karma."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What goes around, comes around."  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm not in, like, hippie-girl mood right now, care to explain that, like, further?"  
  
"Karma. We all get our just desserts in the end."  
  
"Oh... I guess I understand that."  
  
"You'll get some yummy chocolate thingy, and I'll be stuck eating bird poop pie or something."  
  
Daisy laughed in spite of herself. "Just go and get him."  
  
~*~  
  
She looked down at her bare feet, her toes playing with the blades of grass as she swung lazily on the swing in the park, and she heard soft footsteps. She looked up, although she knew immediately that it was him. "You came," she said softly.  
  
"Of course I did... I would do anything that you told me to," he said.  
  
"So..."  
  
"So..."  
  
"I - I - " she stammered, trying to get her thoughts together but not being able to. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, her heart just wanted to pour everything out to him... but suddenly her eyes noticed the large green backpack that he was carrying. "Going somewhere?" she asked softly.  
  
He nodded. "I've realized that I'm the problem here. I've hurt too many people that never deserved to be hurt and I never wanted to hurt, and if it weren't for me none of this would have happened and that's why I'm leaving."  
  
Her bottom lip trembled a little bit. "But... you can't leave now, not when - "  
  
"Not when what, Misty!? You've finally gotten over me? You've found someone new in Mikey? No, Misty, I'm not going to barge back into your life and spoil everything. That's it, I'm done, I'm outta here."  
  
_He doesn't know..._  
  
"But don't you understand that I need you!? I love you, Ash, and I want you to stay!" These weren't the words that she thought she would have to say, she expected the fairy tale ending, she expected the teary rain-soaked reunion, she expected the "I love you"s and the wedding cake and the reconciliation on the pier and the love to return just as it had been. But it wasn't going to happen... Not this time.  
  
"Goodbye," he said softly, walking to her. He kissed her one final time... It wasn't passionate, it was just a loving, meaningful, last kiss, and then he turned away. As he walked, she felt a sprinkle of raindrops hitting her. She looked up at the sky, and then back to him.  
  
_With all of my heart, I know I could love you  
But, with all of my soul, I'm driftin' away  
With all of my mind, I know you could save me from myself  
And anything else,  
With all of my strength, I wanna reach out for you  
With every breath, call out your name  
With every step, I just wanna turn around and say  
"Baby make it okay"  
  
But I'm so afraid that you've forgiven me one too many times  
And I'm so afraid to give my heart again, just to have a change of mind  
And I'm not quite sure that you can trust me  
And I would hate to have you find me again  
Baby, like the wind, driftin' away  
  
It blows and nobody knows where it's going to  
(I'm driftin' away)  
It blows and nobody know what it's gonna do  
  
With all of my heart, I know I disappointed you  
And although I'm real sorry  
I don't know how to save this time  
But, if I would lose you  
I know I would go completely out of my mind  
I'm running out of time  
  
And I'm so afraid that you've forgiven me one too many times  
And I'm so afraid to give my heart again just to have a change of mind  
And I'm not quite sure that you can trust me  
And I would hate to have you find me again  
Baby, like the wind, driftin' away  
  
It blows and nobody knows where it's going to  
(Driftin' away)  
It blows and nobody knows what it's gonna do  
(You see my heart at night)  
At night you can hear it cry as the tear drops fall from Heaven's eyes  
(Fallin' down)  
And somehow you know it's true, these tears that fall are fallin' for you  
(Fallin' for you)  
  
It blows and nobody knows where's it going to   
(Fallin' down)  
It blows and nobody knows what it's gonna do  
At night you can hear it cry as the tear drops fall from heaven's eyes  
And somehow you know it's true these tears that fall are for you  
  
_ "Goodbye," she whispered, blowing him a final kiss farewell. 


End file.
